How to Compare Air Conditioning Quotes

Check the certification first

Refrigerant work must legally be carried out by an F-Gas qualified engineer. This is not a trade body membership or a badge anyone can buy — it is a legal requirement, and an installer without it should not be handling refrigerant at all.

Ask to see it. Anybody qualified will show you without hesitating. Anybody who bristles at the question has told you what you needed to know.

What a proper quote spells out

• The exact make, model and capacity of each unit, not just "air conditioning unit"
• Where each indoor unit goes, and where the outdoor unit goes
• How the pipework is routed, and whether it is concealed or in trunking
• Whether making good is included
• Whether the electrical connection is included, or expected from your own electrician
• The warranty length and who registers it
• Whether commissioning and F-Gas paperwork are included
• Whether scaffolding or access equipment is included, if it is needed

A quote that says "supply and fit air conditioning" with a single figure is not a quote. It is a number, and it leaves every one of the above open to argument later.

Red flags

A price without a visit

The property drives the cost. A figure given without anyone looking is a figure that will change.

A large deposit up front

A deposit to secure equipment is normal. Most of the money before any work has happened is not.

Pressure to decide today

A price that expires at the end of the call is a sales technique, not a price. Good work is worth waiting a couple of days to think about.

No mention of vacuum testing

Ask how long they will hold the system under vacuum. It is the step that determines whether your system lasts fifteen years or four, and it is the easiest one to skip because nobody sees it.

A warranty that sounds too long to be true

Check whether it is the manufacturer's warranty or the installer's own promise. A manufacturer warranty stands whatever happens to the company that fitted it. An installer's own guarantee is worth exactly as much as the company's future.

Comparing like with like

If one quote is noticeably cheaper, find out what is different before assuming you have found a bargain. It is usually a smaller unit, a cheaper brand with a shorter warranty, the electrical work excluded, or making good left to you. Sometimes it is genuinely a better price. It is worth ten minutes to find out which.

What actually affects the cost.

Questions